Lifetime cat possession prices over $19,000 on avg. in Japan: survey

TOKYO — The whole value of proudly owning a cat averages round 2.64 million yen (roughly $19,600) over the feline’s lifetime, a agency primarily based in Japan’s capital introduced on Feb. 16.

R & C Co., a Japan-based insurance coverage company, surveyed 3,000 cat house owners, aged from their 20s to 60s, throughout Japan on Dec. 26 and 27 final 12 months. The corporate launched the survey’s findings forward of Feb. 22, which was chosen as Nationwide Cat Day in Japan as a result of the studying of the date loosely resembles a cat’s cries in Japanese, “Nyan nyan nyan.”

In line with the corporate’s analysis, the typical value over a cat’s lifespan is 2,646,956 yen. The most important expense is meals, which averages 644,885 yen (about $4,780), or 3,515 yen (roughly $26) per 30 days. Subsequent is the price of medical care, which might drastically enhance with a single go to to the vet, at a median of 468,419 yen (about $3,470).

Maintaining cats comfortable is one other expense that may’t be ignored. Many cat-owning households hold their thermostats at room temperature for lengthy durations of time. Primarily based on the period of time the air conditioner is used and the electrical energy invoice for a typical air conditioner, the agency calculated that the general winter heating value for a cat’s life averages 393,363 yen (about $2,920), and the overall to maintain felines cool each summer season averages 262,038 ($1,940). Contemplating the latest surge in the price of electrical energy, this determine might go even greater.

Different pet-ownership analysis by the Japan Pet Meals Affiliation discovered that cats reside for a median 15.62 years. Even when the month-to-month value is simply tens of {dollars}, it may add up over time.

In line with the identical affiliation, individuals in Japan took up possession of 489,000 cats in 2021, a 6% enhance over the earlier 12 months. Cats have gotten a extra fashionable pet, probably due partially to the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, in accordance with a survey carried out by the Ministry of the Atmosphere in fiscal 2020, the variety of cats taken from house owners to be put up for adoption reached round 10,000. An R & C Co. official commented, “We hope (this analysis) will give individuals an opportunity to know the true value forward of time, and think about cat possession fastidiously. We’ll be glad if this helps cut back the variety of cats deserted for monetary causes.”

The whole findings of R & C Co.’s analysis is on the market, in Japanese, on their web site at https://www.randcins.jp/fin/particular/cat-lifetime-cost/

(Japanese unique by Taiki Asakawa, Enterprise Information Division)